The water bearer

2011 Pleasant Valley High School graduate is making waves in Togo by repairing water pumps.

Paige McKinsey, a summa cum laude graduate from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia with degrees in international affairs and gender studies, has spent nearly two years working with the Peace Corps in the small West African country.

McKinsey’s current project is repairing pumps. “This project has been ongoing for many years thanks to the hard work of my good friend and work partner, Kader. Kader is a Togolese man who builds and repairs for a living.”

McKinsey said Kader has partnered with the Peace Corps for years on various projects, andrepairing pumps is a familiar work in the region. Local villages submit applications citing the number of people who use their local pump, how long it has been unusable, what actions are taken to obtain water, and what issues the community is experiencing from a lack of potable water. McKinsey said five to seven applications are approved per year, based on need and community motivation.

“Many of these villages have been living with broken pumps for years, unable to raise the funds necessary to fix them,” McKinsey said. “In some villages this means their nearest water source is upward of 12 kilometers (about 7.5 miles) away.”

Unfortunately, since water collection is deemed women’s work in the area, the extensive travel causes problems for woman and their daughters.

“Women in these villages literally spend their entire day collecting enough water for their families. Sadly in some cases, these long distances and gender division of labor keep girls from attending school as they accompany their mothers to get water,” McKinsey said.

With the completion of this year’s reparation projects at the end of February, more than 5,000 Togo residents will have local access to potable water. One of the key difficulties has been arranging for enough volunteers to partake in a reparation.

“On the day that we repair the pump a group of (Peace Corps volunteers) meets with the village to discuss a variety of topics including malaria prevention, hygiene and sanitation techniques, and the importance of girls’ education,” McKinsey said.

McKinsey said that 25 percent of the projects’ costs come from the villages, with her grant covering the remainder.

Besides her water pump project, McKinsey has also run three clubs with the village’s primary and secondary schools. The secondary school groups are working on two projects, a mural that depicts the importance of hand washing, and a speaking engagement to educate a neighboring village on HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptive methods.

McKinsey also works with a women’s micro finance group. Their current project revolves around building a nursery for moringa trees, which produce nutritious leaves that the women could sell.

McKinsey has taken some time to learn about the local culture and community. She has learned to communicate in French, which is necessary to conduct business in Togo on a daily basis. In addition, she has picked up on some phrases in the local language, which proves helpful for working within the village.

“When I arrived in village I was given the name Rachida, a name found in the Quran. In order to better integrate into my community I started going to prayer at our main mosque every Friday. This simple act of showing understanding and interest in an important part of their lives made all the difference. … I live and work with an entire community of Muslims that have not only come to accept me and support me, they have very much become my family.”

After being away from home for almost two years, McKinsey misses her friends and family dearly.

However, the thing she yearns for most is a rather simple breakfast item.

“If I’m honest, the first thing that popped into my head when I read this question was The Bagel Experience in Brodheadsville,” she said. “I actually miss bagels so much, I’ve named one of my dogs Bagel. Now everyone is Bapure knows what a bagel is, how to pronounce it correctly, and that it’s Rachida’s favorite breakfast.”

Now that the end of her Peace Corps stint is approaching, McKinseysaid that her experiences in Togohas had a profound effect on her plans.

“I have experience that cannot be learned in a book or classroom. I’ve come to find a true passion for working with youth in development,” she said. “I think this passion will continue into a career as I look for jobs related to gender and development and further into a master’s degree in gender development.”